A 'sneak' peek at new mural

SANDUSKY — Derek Brennan put his best foot forward in creating the newest public art project in Sandusky. Titled "The Boy and the Sneaker," Brennan recently finished a First Street-facing mural on a building belonging to Venetian Marina. It's located not far from Cedar Point Drive. The vibrant imagery shows a larger-than-life young boy holding up a water-soaked leaking sneaker, a nod to Sandusky's iconic Boy with the Boot statue, which is also depicted in this painting. "I saw the opportunity to create a more modern take on the Sandusky classic," Brennan said. "It honors the past while looking forward to the future." It also highlights noteworthy staples found in Sandusky, such as Washington Park's floral clock and the Red Popcorn Wagon. "There are many Sandusky-specific elements that I've included, but I mainly just want people to feel joy and brighten up people's commute," said Brennan, who finished up this piece just days after summer officially began on June 20. "I wanted this piece to really feel like summer in Sandusky. It's a time of the year with so much energy and events going on." Brennan, a 2009 Perkins High School graduate who now resides in the Cleveland area, appreciates any chance to spotlight where he comes from. "I just really love to pain and use my passion for art to make an impact on communities," said Brennan, noting "The Boy and the Sneaker" marks his latest Sandusky-based public mural with others located on Camp Street behind A & B Hobbies & Cycles along with on an apartment building behind on East Washington Street. "Especially with Sandusky being my hometown, I'm proud of all the progress in downtown, and this is a way I get to be part of it and leave my mark on the city," he said. Brennan also credited artist Chad Fedorovich from the Cleveland Mural Co. Fedorovich, who painted the mural at Paddle Bar in downtown Sandusky, came out to Brennan's mural site to assist him at the project's onset. "We have more projects planned together in Sandusky and in Cleveland that will be completed this year," Brennan said. Speaking up Murals help fulfill Sandusky's ongoing public art initiative. In short, officials identify opportunities where such visuals make sense to improve certain areas. This would include painting traffic boxes to placing sculptures in city parks. To achieve this end, Brennan worked with a couple of partners on this project: Hoty Enterprises, which owns Venetian Marina; and Shores & Islands Ohio, the tourism bureau for Erie and Ottawa counties, which provided a $15,000 grant to help offset this $30,000 privately funded project. The bureau funds what's known as destination development grants. Applicants can receive money if a project can, among other reasons, attract and/or engage visitors or residents, which this mural does, officials said. Representatives from both entities spoke about the significance of this project: • Kula Lynch, Hoty Enterprises' corporate counsel When we applied for plan approval last year for our new building at Venetian Marina, the city — as it usually does for our large storage buildings — asked us to do some beautification. On our last building, at Son Rise (Marina also on First Street), we added windows and an awning. At about the time we were planning this project, Derek Brennan was working on a mural downtown, and as I watched that progress, I thought a mural would be a really great addition to our building versus just windows. So we reached out. We also reached out to Shores & Islands Ohio about their destination grant and were awarded a matching grant earlier this year. We were going to do the mural either way, but the destination grant allowed us to really expand the scope of the mural and create a greater impact. We gave a lot of creative freedom to Derek on the concept because we wanted to see what he would come up with. And he came to us with "The Boy and the Sneaker," which was inspired by the iconic Boy with the Boot statue downtown, wanting to celebrate Sandusky's rich history, culture and forward-looking spirit. We worked with him on some specific elements and are so pleased with the final outcome. We are excited to bring some art to First Street, and, hopefully, we can continue with more installations at our other properties. • Amanda Smith Rasnick, Shores & Islands' destination development director: The project fits the goal of the grant program as the mural will attract and engage visitors and residents. As the grant parameters state, "A higher consideration will be given to exterior public/forward-facing projects, including placemaking improvements, private exterior beautification via storefront enhancements, façade, signage, murals on buildings or revitalization/restoration." This project enhances a main thoroughfare to Cedar Point and downtown that currently lacks vibrancy due to many boat storage facilities. Additionally, Hoty is working with the city of Sandusky to provide land for the Sandusky Bay Pathway. As Kula mentioned in her application, "We believe this (mural) will add to the pathway experience, which will be traversed by both residents and tourists. The mural will be easily approached on foot as well, allowing for photo opportunities. Being adjacent to the Sandusky Bay Pathway, it contributes to the pathway experience, providing a visual treat for both residents and tourists."